He Who Was Obsessed
by Maudie Stirling
Summary: He is turning into a skeleton, and failed his exams, but why waste valuable time eating or studying? He still has thousands of memories to check, in attempts to find the murderer of his parents. In the Next Generation, Teddy Lupin wants to know more about his parents' deaths. But will the truth ruin his life? The ages are wrong, but please try it and review!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! Please enjoy my FanFic (and ignore my misunderstanding of the ages). I would appreciated it very much if you sent me a review, to tell me how it is. :D**

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_One_

"Mmm – mm?" James asked, his mouth stuffed full of sweets. Teddy shook his head politely at the half-empty box of Bertie Bott's Beans offered to him. "What about these?" Albus, James' brother, held out a couple of Chocolate Frogs.  
"Alright, then," Teddy said, grabbing them with thanks. James snorted chewed bits of candy. "You know what your problem is?"  
Teddy shook his head, tearing open the wrapping.  
"You're too polite."  
Teddy shrugged, nibbling the head of one of the frogs. "Not my fault I don't eat like a pig, unlike _someone_ I could mention."  
"Yeah, James. And you sleep like a pig, too," Albus joined in, shooting James a disgusted look. "You kept me awake all night yesterday, and I almost couldn't get up in time."  
James shoved another Cauldron Cake into his mouth, not caring about these comments in the slightest. "'Tisn't my fault I'm a happy, healthy fellow. If you're really tired you can sleep now."  
"What, and wake up tied on top of the Express?" Albus rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately I've been living with you long enough to know what you're like."  
James opened his eyes wide and looked at Albus, faking a hurt expression. "Would I do that to you, my dear brother? _Moi_, the kind and caring…"  
Teddy sighed, picked up and _Quidditch through the Ages_ and tried to ignore the brothers' bickering.

After a while, there was a knock on their door. Teddy looked up; it was Rose. She slid the compartment door open a crack and poked her head in. "I heard we're nearly there, you might want to change." Teddy thanked her and pulled out his robes from his trunk. James and Albus, now finished arguing, did the same. They got their wands out and muttered a charm that switched their clothing (James reluctantly helped Albus). Their other clothes then folded and packed themselves neatly into their trunks.  
James stretched and yawned. "I hope there's a good feast – I'm starving!"  
"Surprise, surprise," said Teddy, putting his wand in the special pocket of his robes. "I wonder if there's anything exciting happening this year."

Then the train slowly came to a halt. Albus stood up abruptly, grabbing his trunk. "I've got to go with the first years to get sorted!" he shouted behind his shoulder, as he slid open the door and hurried out. James sighed. "Remember when we first came? You almost wet your pants with excitement, running around like a crazy hippogriff."  
Teddy bristled indignantly. "You're a fine one to talk. Who was the one yelling Hogwarts jokes at anyone within hearing distance?"  
"That's better than falling over on your way to the Hat's stool," James retorted, casting a spell at his trunk so that it floated after him. Teddy rolled his eyes, but couldn't find a comeback. They shoved through the other students, emerging outside. Teddy led the way to the Thestrals, and they climbed onto one of the carriages. Sitting down comfortably, the boys argued about Quidditch teams all the way to the castle, Hagrid's yell of "First years, 'ere you go, come wi' me!" in the background.

"Mmm!" groaned James with satisfaction. Teddy too lay back is his chair, having eaten more than he remembered he'd ever done. Nearly Headless Nick sat beside him, staring mournfully at the now not-so-laden plates. Then the chattering subdued, and Teddy looked toward the top table in time to see Professor McGonagall arise.  
"Welcome back to a delightful new term, everybody! All the teachers are rearing to go, and should at least last a few weeks before complaining to me. We have a new caretaker, due to Mr. Filch's retirement. Please welcome Mrs. King."  
A young woman in violet robes stood up to a huge round of applause; James and a few others even whistled. Filch and his horrid cat Ms. Norris had not been popular among the students, and everyone was glad to see him replaced. Then McGonagall continued to warn the first years and rule-breakers about the ForbiddenForest, and detentions for those who act to deserve them.

At last, they were dismissed to their common rooms.  
"Er…Boomslang, is it?" James asked Teddy as they reached the Fat Lady. "It certainly is!" The Fat Lady smiled, swinging forward to let them through. The boys made their way up the staircase and into their dormitory, collapsing onto their beds.  
"We should probably change," murmured Teddy. James didn't reply – he was already asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

_Two_

Teddy woke suddenly as someone poked his back. "Go away," he mumbled into his pillow. "C'mon, wake up! We've got Herbology first up, and I promised Mum I'll be extra good for Neville."  
His bed covers were thrown open, a cold gust of air making Teddy shiver. "Alright, I give up," he croaked, reluctantly sitting up. James laughed. "You should so see your hair."  
Teddy half-heartedly reached a hand up to smooth his blue hair, knowing nothing short of a bucket of glue would make it stick down.  
James disappeared, giving Teddy privacy to change. He felt around in his pocket for his wand, finding sweet wrappers and fluff. "Oi, James, where'd you put my wand?"  
James poked his head around the hangings again. "What'd you mean?"  
"I can't find my wand," Teddy muttered, feeling under his bed.  
"I'm sure you can't. It can't be sticking out of your robe pocket, can it?"  
"What?" Teddy banged his head on the side of the bed. Sure enough, the point was just visible out of his left pocket. "But I looked!"  
James clucked his tongue sadly, walking out the door. "'Course you did. I wonder if there's a mental section at St Mungos…?"

In Herbology, they were asked to re-pot some Hairistones, small hairy, pebble like things that grew flowers useful for various potions. But it wasn't as easy as it sounded, Teddy realized, as his second one walked over the edge of the table and cracked. Other students were having similar problems: Hairistones could make dirt balls and hurl them at attackers when they were feeling pressured. Apparently they were much stressed right now, as mud was flying across the room and there were cries of disgust as victims were hit.

"Blah!" James spat dirt out over his Hairistone. It shriveled into a small hairy ball and plunged into its pot.  
"Whoa, I never thought of that!" Teddy grinned and spat onto his too. The boys on their table quickly copied and gained the same result.  
"I think you've found an easy way to replant them," Professor Longbottom smiled, coming over. "Thirty points to Gryffindor."  
James whooped. "Thanks, professor!"  
After the lesson, Teddy nudged him as they walked back to the castle. "Don't you get the feeling that he gives extra points to Gryffindor?"  
James shrugged. "Who cares?"

"You've got a point."

The next lesson was Defense Against the Dark Arts. James thumped his bag down on a double table in the middle row, flopping down on his seat behind. "I wonder what we're doing today."  
Teddy sat down next to him. "Knowing Hawkins, probably something gruesome."  
He took out his books, and looked up as Victoire entered. She flashed him a smile, and sat down on the table in front with one of her friends. Teddy sighed. Now he had no chance of focusing in the lesson, with her long silvery hair catching the light every time she moved her head.  
Professor Hawkins, a tall, cruel man, entered the room and after calling the role, started talk about the times when the Dark Lord, or Voldemort, came back. Girls threw James curious glances as his father, the famous Harry Potter, was mentioned. Teddy soon lost interest like he predicted, staring at Victoire's hair instead.

Teddy woke abruptly as a pain shot up his arm. "Wha –"  
"Get up!" James bent down and elbowed him again. "Didn't you hear, get up!"  
Teddy looked around the room. Half of its occupiers, including James, were on their feet, looking nervously at Professor Hawkins. Bemused, he rose just as James grabbed his hair and pulled him up. "Ow! What's going on?" he hissed.  
"All those who lost relatives to the war have to stand up," James whispered back. "Dunno what he wants with us."  
Professor Hawkins cleared his voice. "For one minute, let us grieve for the brave ones who died to save us all," he rumbled, closing his eyes.  
"What rubbish is this?" Teddy muttered.  
James snorted. "Better go along with it."  
When that minute was over, they were allowed to sit back down.  
"Homework is to choose someone that is close to you who was killed by a Death Eater. Detailed nine inch report, due next week. We shall use the lesson in between to work on it. Get a sheet as you leave about what you have to include. Class dismissed," barked Hawkins in one breath. Then he sat down on his desk and sorted papers, clearly indicating class was over.

"What was that about?" Teddy asked James, reading through the list of things.  
"No idea," James relied. "Always thought he was barmy."  
Teddy stopped as he read a particular dot point: _Find out who your chosen person was killed by. _  
"How am I supposed to do that?" he groaned, pointing it out to James. "In fact, heaps of people don't know who their relatives were killed by."  
"Yeah," James agreed. "I was going to do Uncle Fred, but from what I've heard at family gatherings no one knows who got him."  
"I bet it was Bellatrix Lestrange," someone spoke up behind them. The boys turned and saw Victoire grimacing at them. Teddy was amazed how she could still look so pretty with her face screwed up. "I heard she killed lots."  
James nodded. Then he turned to Teddy. "Hey, did you know that she almost killed Mum and Aunt Hermonie?"  
Teddy shook his head.  
"But then grandma jumped out and killed her instead," James grinned.  
They got to a staircase and Victoire kissed Teddy on the cheek and went in another direction. As they climbed up, the stairs disconnected, moved 90 degrees right and joined onto another platform.  
Teddy sighed, half because they now had to climb four other stairs at least to get to the Divination tower and half because he still didn't know what to write. "I'm not sure if you can put 'Bellatrix', and then a question mark, though," he said to James.  
"No, but you can put 'Not Applicable'," replied his best friend cheerily.  
"Mmm. I wonder if we can actually find out...?"

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**Please review. It doesn't take much but it makes me so happy, even if you are insulting me. It makes me think that you actually care, even if you seriously don't.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

_Three_

_Thump_. Another book got pushed off the table onto the pile that was steadily growing. "It's no use!" James moaned, flicking through another book. "I suppose Fred and your parents weren't important enough to be mentioned in the lists, nor had any particular enemies."  
Teddy ignored him, scanning the pages of his. Finding nothing useful, he abandoned it with a sigh. "You're right. We could ask your family through owl post later."  
James exaggerated letting out a breath of relief. "Quidditch practice?"  
"Yeah, alright, after we tidied this up," grinned Teddy. "About time you learnt some tricks from an expert."  
"Expert? Where?" James looked around the room. Looking in the common room mirror, he nodded seriously. "Oh, yes, right there, as handsome as could be. Shame about the other person in front of him, though –" he broke off as a book went flying across the table, missing him by a hair. "– violent as well as lacking in many categories," he continued sadly, the near miss not shaking him in the least. "Something only the least learned wizards have to resort to."  
Teddy gave in and laughed.

The wind whooshing past their ears, James and Teddy looped the loop as one. "Nothing refreshes you more than a good spin," gasped Teddy. James nodded in agreement. "Race you around the pitch?" he yelled over the other students' chattering. Teddy leaned down on his broomstick. "You're on."

After speeding around the Quidditch pitch a few times (Teddy was, in fact, better than James) the boys surrendered to their growling stomachs and retired to the Great Hall with several other strays. The dinner was delicious, followed by a short speech from the new caretaker, Mrs. King. Teddy fiddled with his napkin, unable to focus. He was thinking about the murderer of his parents, deciding it wasn't good enough just to predict it was Bellatrix Lestrange. As soon as they were dismissed, Teddy dragged James up to the owlery, showing him the letter he'd written during the feast.

_Dear Uncle Harry,_

_How's the family? I hope Lily isn't too jealous._

_James and I are having a great time at Hogwarts - so far I've managed to keep him out of trouble, as I promised. Albus is settling in fine, I heard he's had his first crush: Violet Malley is a very pretty girl in Hufflepuff.  
For DADA, we've been asked to do a report about the second war. Do you or Aunt Ginny by any chance know who killed Uncle Fred or my parents?_

_Love, Teddy (James sends his love, too)_

"Really? Albus likes Violet?" James ignored the rest of the letter, his eyes shining mischievously. "You should've told me earlier, I could've teased him –"  
"Yes, I know, and you can do that to your heart's content after we get our answer." Teddy rolled the parchment up and tied it to a tawny owl's leg. It gave a hoot as it flew out the window, disappearing quickly among the trees.  
Teddy then walked out of the owlery, indicating their conversation was finished.

As they went down the spiral stairs of the tower, Victoire appeared. Seeing Teddy, she gave a sigh of relief, tucking a stray strand of silvery hair behind her ear. "Hi," Teddy said, looking down at his robes. They were mud stained and creased, which added to his embarrassment. Victoire blushed slightly. She opened her mouth to speak, but James cut in. "I'll see you in the common room, OK?"  
Teddy looked startled, but nodded. "You'll be the one behind a huge mountain of homework, staring out the window longingly."  
James pulled a face, continuing down the steps.  
Now that he was gone, Teddy felt even more uncomfortable. "So, um, how are you?"  
"I'm great, thanks. There's a Hogsmeade trip this weekend, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?" Victoire asked, looking at him in the eyes.  
Teddy smiled nervously. "Sure, of course. Meet you at the fountain?"  
Victoire nodded, and they walked down together. Teddy almost died of embarrassment when their fingers touched and he realized his were cold and sweaty. When they got to the bottom, he had to resist running away. "Bye, Violet," he muttered, before realizing what he'd said. "I mean, Victoire. Sorry."  
She eyed him, and then switched on a teasing smile. "Bye, Tom."

Teddy grinned sheepishly, waving as she turned and joined a group of girls. He was still watching her when he walked into a suit of armour. It crashed against the wall noisily, making all eyes turn to him. Abruptly pushing it upright, he walked as quickly as he could to the common room, his ears on fire and his hair purple.

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	4. Chapter 4

_Four_

"Right. I'm finished, apart from the name of his murderer." James said sitting back from his long roll of ink filled parchment. "_But I'll be very happy to put Not Applicable, like most of the other people are_," he added, shooting a look at Teddy. Teddy rolled his eyes. "You have no back bone. Always happy to give up when things get too hard – no wonder I'm so much better at you at Quidditch."  
James sat up indignantly. "Excuse me! And you haven't ever given up on anything, have you? Dear oh dear then, 'cause you must have about ten crushes, a hobby of collecting Muggle rubbish –"  
"_Shut up!_" Teddy hissed, giving him a sharp nudge. The people nearby had begun to snigger, throwing Teddy amused looks. James grinned. "And about Quidditch – who was the first one to get in the team?" "That's only because they were having Keeper tryouts before the Chasers'!" Teddy argued.

Then a loud hoot made them jump. The tawny owl that Teddy had sent to take his letter was now back, with the reply tied to his leg. He was pecking the window impatiently, and James let him in as he was about to fly off in a huff.  
"What does it say?" Teddy asked urgently. James tossed the scroll to him.

"_Dear Teddy,_" he read, "_It's great to hear from you. Lily sulked for the first few days, but soon forgot about it. Ah, Albus. Trust him to crush on Olivia Malley's daughter. Could you and James cheer him up when she stops flirting and dumps him completely? Now, about the war. Your uncles and aunts are sorry to say that the wizards/witches are unknown, though we promise to avenge them if we find out. I could put a safe bet on Bellatrix Lestrange, however. Good luck with the rest of your homework, we are sympathizing over here. Love, Harry._"  
Teddy looked up from the piece of parchment, disappointment showing on his face and his now green hair. James gave a last cookie crumb to the owl and let it out the window. "Yeah, you see, Dad just as well told us it was Bellatrix."  
In a sudden attack of frustration, Teddy scrunched the letter up and threw it across the room. It bounced off the head of a chubby girl. James sat down next to him. "Whoa there, you might've just given that girl brain damage."  
Teddy snorted annoyance.  
"What's wrong?" asked James, offering him a cookie. Teddy declined impatiently. "How am I ever going to find out who killed my parents?"  
James shrugged. "Does it matter that much?" Then, seeing the Teddy's expression, he added, "Rhetorical question."  
Something in Teddy's mind snapped, and he had to stop himself from cursing James. Putting his wand back in his pocket, he said curtly, "I'm going to bed." James followed him, trying to brighten him up. "Why did the Thestral cross the road?"

When they got to their dormitory, Teddy stormed into the bathroom and had a quick shower. Then he got into bed, pulled the hanging around, concealing himself. He closed his eyes, willing himself to sleep. James wasn't helping. Undaunted by Teddy's bad temper, he decided to try one more joke. It had to be his best one. "How did the elephant find the hunters?" It got him the result he wanted, though not in that way.  
"By taking matters into his own hands, and searching for them himself," was the soft whisper through the hangings.  
James frowned, bemused. "Actually, Teddy, it's not. The elephant –" "Shut up." Teddy snapped, his voice hardening. "And good_night_."

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**Those of you who have reviewed, thanks! Please do so, if you haven't. I need to know if I'm going the right direction (is Teddy too bad tempered?)**

**See the meanings of Teddy's hair colours in the 8th chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

_Five_

After a trouble night's sleep, Teddy woke with bags under his eyes. Swearing under his breath, he tried and failed to do a Concealing Charm, blackening his whole face. James saw him and burst into laughter, waking the rest of the boys in their dormitory. Lorcan Scamander and Augusta Longbottom peered sleepily at them. "What's up?" Augusta asked, rubbing his eyes.  
"Nothing. Go back to sleep," snapped Teddy.  
Lorcan stretched, yawning. "Nah, too much excitement. Plus, I know how to get rid of that." He gestured toward Teddy's face. "It's this flaky stuff that Nargles sometimes get on their wings, and I sometimes help Mum and Dad clean them up."

Teddy hesitated. "Are you sure?"  
Lorcan gave him a look. "I would hope so, after spending two or three years getting it right."  
"OK, but please be careful," warned Teddy, stepping closer to Lorcan. He pulled out his wand and swished it in the air in a circular motion, muttering some words. Teddy felt his face clear. "Thanks," he said, checking in the mirror. Lorcan shrugged, pulling his hangings together to change. James picked up a crumpled timetable from his bedside table and choked in horror. "Teddy!" he gasped. "We've missed half the Divination lesson!"  
Wasting no more time, the boys got respectable and rushed down as fast as they could. Augusta paused by the tables in the Great Hall. They were still half laden with leftovers. "Breakfast?" Teddy pulled him on. "No time."

When the boys burst into the stuffy tower room, the rest of the class were sitting on cushions, peering dully at crystal balls. They had to look around quite hard to spot Professor Trelawney, who was wearing what looked like a trimmed curtain, its misty pink colours blending in with the everlasting, scented fog. She did not seem to notice the disruption, so the boys hurriedly settled down with some spare crystal balls. "What are we trying to see?" James hissed to a girl behind him.  
"Our future," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Don't worry; you haven't got much to catch up on. None of us have seen anything yet."

A tedious lesson after, the class was told to fill in a booklet telling the things they saw in their borrowed crystal balls, which they were to study each night.

"I swear, all I want to do is bop her over the head with mine," growled Teddy, stuffing his crystal ball into his bag roughly.  
"Such a violent personality," muttered James. "But you're right, my first instinct is to throw it out the window," he added in agreement. They made their way to the dungeons, where their next lesson, Potions, was conducted.

Professor Creevey awaited them, with instructions to the Defying-Gravity Concoction scrawled onto the black board. After going through the roll, he took a sip from a bottle with some potion and demonstrated to the class the effects. "The few of you who get it right are allowed to keep the some of potion, as long as you use it sensibly," he told them, walking across the ceiling above their heads. "Be aware that one mouthful last about 10 minutes, and try not to fall on your head."

He walked down the wall and to the front, and started the class.

"Please will you let me have some?" James pleaded. Teddy shook his head firmly. "But I'll give you my – my…" James trailed off, thinking hard about something to tempt Teddy. "My Dorothea Keene picture that looks sort of like Victoire?"  
Teddy glared at him. "Are you stupid?"  
"OK, well, what about my broomstick kit?"  
"James, I gave you that for Christmas."  
"Just, _please_! I'll be your slave for 2 months!"

"This is just building my suspicions of what you plan to do if you get hold of it."

"I promise I won't do anything! Well, that would just be a waste of potion, but, you know what I mean…"  
The boys emerged into the common room, where two other people were being begged by their friends for some Defying-Gravity Potion.  
As James and Teddy passed one of them, Teddy recognized Victoire. She gave him a sympathetic look, then had to quickly turn back to prevent an eager girl from snatching her vial from her hands.  
"She's smart, isn't she?" Teddy murmured to James. He took this opportunity to grab at his potion. The boys wrestled with it, and then somehow the cork popped open. The contents slopped onto the boys' faces, dripping into their opened mouths of surprise. People froze to stare at them. James was the first one to react. "_Yes_! Ha-ha, I've had some of the potion!"  
"_You idiot_!" Teddy yelled, coming out of his shock, his hair turning purple. "_I had plans for that_!" James shrugged, rushing to the nearest wall. "Lets see if it works."  
In his frustration, Teddy felt a tug of indignity. "Of course it does. I made it, didn't I?"  
And so it did. James walked horizontally up the wall, hesitating at the ceiling. "D'you know how long the potion will last? We only had a bit."  
Teddy didn't reply, thinking that he deserved every bit of it if he fell on his head. But James made it all the way to the opposite wall before he promptly lost his balance and crashed into the table underneath.

"Ow!" He moaned, rubbing his head. Then he looked up at Teddy. "Hey, yours will be wearing off soon. Don't you want to at least try?"  
Teddy considered refusing and storming to his dormitory, but decided against it. After all, he rarely got temporary wall-walking powers. He approached the wall, putting his foot on it hesitantly. "Come on. You swallowed more than I did," encouraged James.  
So Teddy walked up the wall. He expected a wave of dizziness, but nothing came. It was just like walking on the ground, he thought, except with everyone horizontal to you. He walked around the room, not daring to go on the ceiling. When he passed Victoire, he gave her a cheeky grin. Then all of a sudden he was slipping off, his arms flailing. Fortunately he crashed into a sofa, landing unharmed. "That," he declared, "was –" "Yeah?" James interrupted, smirking. "- A complete waste of potion!" Teddy finished, glaring at him. "I wanted to use that for something important!"  
"Oh." James said, shoulders slumping. "Erm. Sorry?"

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**Please review underneath.**

**See the meanings of Teddy's hair colours in the 8th chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

_Six_

It was snowing outside, perfect for a trip to Hogsmeade. Teddy waited at the fountain for Victoire. She appeared in her usual group of adoring friends, waving them off as she spotted Teddy. Supporting a beautiful smile, she came over.  
"Hi. Ready to go?"  
Teddy nodded, grinning at the jealous looks from passing boys. "I need to buy tons of sweets – James eats his and mine before I get to."

The snow came down steadily, soon covering everything with a thick, white blanket. After a lot of shopping and staring longingly at expensive items, they sat down at a frost covered bench. "Do you want to go to the Three Broomsticks?" asked Teddy, shivering.  
"Sure," said Victoire, heaving her now full bag of new ink, parchment and sweets onto her shoulder.

Teddy pushed the door open as they arrived, gust of warm air hitting him in the face.  
"Close it, quickly!" squealed the chubby barmaid, rushing over. She pulled Victoire in and slammed the door shut, wiping sweat from her brow. "Welcome! Sorry about that, we just don't want to lose any more warmth than we have to. Heating Charms are so complicated …" she trailed off, gave her head a little shake and beamed. "Anyway. Take a seat in any vacant place – we're very busy today."  
Thanking her, Teddy and Victoire scanned the area for any available seats.  
"There, see that one behind Lucy and Alice?" Victoire pointed, walking toward the table. Within moments they had unloaded and ordered some Butterbeer and Cauldron Cakes. "You know, if we were at Hogshead we could get Firewhiskey," Teddy said thoughtfully, sipping his Butterbeer.  
"Not on your life! I plan to be a prefect next year," laughed Victoire. "Though I have my work cut, trying to keep you and James out of trouble."

The Cauldron Cakes arrived, placed before them by a flashy waitress. She had familiar earrings – a triangle with a circle and a line through the middle. Teddy felt he should recognize the symbol.  
"That's the mark of the Deathly Hallows," said Victoire.  
Teddy jumped. "Oh, yeah, I knew that. With Uncle Harry retelling his stories every Christmas…"  
"She was very pretty, wasn't she?"  
"What? I suppose so. Nothing compared to you, of course."

"Oh, thanks. What about Emily? Or Susan?" Victoire sat up, her icy blue stare going right through him.  
She gave him no time to answer. "You've been distracted lately, Teddy. Is there someone else?"

Teddy felt completely bewildered. "How – no way – you think –" Then, choking on his Cauldron Cake, he had a coughing fit.  
When he finally stopped, his hair was as red as his face. "Look, Victoire, you're the prettiest and most wonderful person I know. I'm sorry if I've been distracted, I'll stick like glue to you for a week if you want."  
Victoire nodded, and then made a face. "No, thanks, I've got a reputation to look after." She looked pointedly at his robes, which were stained and covered with crumbs. Teddy laughed and brushed them off.  
After they finished their drinks, they went outside.

"By the way, what were you planning to use your Defying-Gravity Potion for?" Victoire asked as they walked in the direction of the Shrieking Shack.  
"Well. You know how Hawkins wants us to write a report on a relative who was killed by a Death Eater?"  
Victoire nodded, and he soon told her about researching and asking Uncle Harry, but having no luck.  
"So, I wanted to use the potion to, um, break into the Restricted Section," he said, wondering whether she was serious about being a Prefect.

Victoire laughed. "And what if you couldn't get out in time?"  
Teddy shrugged. "I suppose I'd have James cause a distraction or something."

They reached the weak fence that marked the end of Hogsmeade. Beyond was the Shrieking Shack, a complete ruin. Victoire sat down on a rock. "I'll let you have my bit of potion if you come up with a better plan," she said.  
Teddy's eyes widened, his hair turning pink. He struggled to come up with words to appropriately express his gratitude, so instead he kissed her.

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**See the meanings of Teddy's hair colours in the 8th chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

_Seven_

"Teddy!" was the faint call from the direction of the window. Teddy groaned and got up. "What do you want – Argh!" As he pressed his cheek against the glass to look down, a big snowball splattered next to his face. James grinned up at him, already making a replacement. "You've spent enough time in there, come down!"  
Teddy shook his head. His response was another snowball. Augusta, Lorcan and Lysander, Lorcan's twin, joined James below. "We've got a big pyramid over there," yelled Lysander, pointing. "And we'll throw them all at you until you come down!"  
Teddy glanced back at his pile of books. He'd read through half of them, and found nothing helpful. Perhaps he was wasting time. Holding both hands up to his friends in surrender, he grabbed his coat and started down the stairs.

"What took you so long?" Lorcan asked, as the wind snatched his hat off his head and blew it across the yard. He started chasing after it, but then stopped as the others yelled at him. "Are you a wizard? Do a spell, for Dumbledore's sake!"  
Teddy laughed, and then roared when a snowball hit him on the neck and dripped down his shirt. "Who did that?"  
Augusta threw another one, but missed. Soon the air was thick with flying snow, and Teddy forgot about researching.

It was only when they were making snow-angels when the boys realized they'd played the afternoon away.  
"We should really get inside," Teddy said.  
"But look at the awesome sunset!" Lysander protested.  
"OK, so you lay here and gasp at the sunset while we enjoy a nice, warm feast."  
_Pause_. "Whatever. By the way, your hair's white."

When they entered the Great Hall, everyone was already seated and eating.  
"Damn, I bet most of the good stuff is gone – what are they _laughing _at?"  
Lorcan soon found his answer as he sat down with a big _squish_. The people around them erupted with giggles. Turning around, Teddy realized his back was pure white, as were his friends'. "We're covered in snow!"  
Hastily brushing his robes, James glared at the people who laughed. "Oh _dear_. We had a little _snow_ on our back. How _hilarious_."  
"Settle down, settle down." Nearly Headless Nick drifted over, trying to help them brush the snow off. Teddy shivered as Nick's hand passed through his back, feeling like icy cold water washed over him. His friends quickly backed off. "We're fine!"  
"Well, do sit down; you're making quite a racket."

Teddy chewed his food slowly as James stuffed his face beside him. "Mmm – mmm – mmmm –mm," he told Teddy, showing a mouthful of chewed up pudding. People nearby blenched. James laughed, seeing their faces, and swallowed.  
"I said, you should try some of this pudding."  
Teddy looked at the dish, then at James. "I will, when I've forgotten what it looked like chewed up, inside your mouth."  
James shrugged. "You don't know what you're missing out on. Still - more for me!"

"Goodnight, e – everyone," yawned Lorcan, climbing into his bed. Augusta followed suit, but James and Teddy put on their night robes and tiptoed down to the common room.  
"You had any ideas yet?" Teddy whispered.  
James shook his head. "Our report's due on Monday, though, so you'll have to write something else anyway."  
"Yes, but I really want to know! I mean, that person killed my _parents_ – Arrrrgh!" The boys reached the bottom of the stairs, only to find that someone was still sitting on one of the red and gold couches.  
James let out a high-pitched squeal. "Run!"  
"No – no, wait! It's only Victoire!"  
James stopped in mid sprint, turning around slowly to meet the cold stare of his cousin. "Ah. Hi, Vicky!"  
"_Don't_ call me that. May I ask what you are up to?"  
"No, but you just did –"  
"Shut up. Please, Victoire, we were just going to plan our great break in to the Ministry. You could help us if you want."  
James jumped in front of Teddy and slapped him on both cheeks. "Ow! What was that for - "  
Then James gave a quick grin to Victoire. "Dear oh dear - Teddy's too sleepy to know what he's talking about. What was that you said, Teddy? Something about a break in Hawaii? Yeah, we should probably get going. Nice seeing you, Vicky!"  
"Get off me! Victoire, do something –" Teddy struggled against James's attempt to drag him up the stairs, his hair turning light purple.  
"James Sirius Potter, stop strangling my boyfriend."  
Like magic, James released Teddy and sank to the floor with a big groan. "When you wake up, Teddy, you'll realize what you've done."  
Teddy patted his head. "I know what I've done, James, I've gotten us a great helper."  
Victoire abandoned whatever she was doing and came over. "But before I do any great helping, I need to know what I'm helping with."  
"Well, Teddy wants us to go on a risky and unnecessary mission to the Department of Criminal History to get names of Death Eaters. You have permission to tell him it will be a fruitless and time-wasting hunt."  
Victoire leaned against a marble pillar, thinking deeply. "Not a bad plan, but I don't know why you would do that when you can actually view the fight and thus figure out who cast the two particular killing curses."  
Teddy stood bolt upright. "You – we can?"  
She nodded. "I heard Dad talking to Mum about if they'd one day go through the records and see it was him who set off the firecrackers at one Christmas and him who smuggled the hippogriff foal into the Great Hall, and Mum asked him how they'd do that and he told her there is an ever-lasting charm cast in the Great Hall that records everything at a bird's-eye view and makes 24 hour films of it."  
James scrambled up with a hopeful expression. "You mean we won't get caught and sent to Azkaban?"  
"They won't send _you_ to Azkaban anyway – even the Dementors can't keep you under control. No, they'd put you in a cage and get you to watch someone devouring a treacle tart or something. That's their best chance of taming you."  
"Stop, will you. We've actually got a plan here," cut in Teddy. "Victoire, did Uncle Bill say anything about what happens to the films?"  
"They are sorted and kept in the _Room of Requirements_."  
Here Teddy let out a big whoop of joy. "We can access that easily!"  
James and Victoire stiffened.  
"This time I'm telling you to shut up for a change! Now we'd better go back to bed and sort things out tomorrow," said James, heading for the stairs.  
Teddy waited until he was out of sight then kissed Victoire goodnight, thanking her for helping them.  
"Well, I couldn't really send you off to the Ministry to get caught, could I?" she replied, walking to the girls' tower. "Sweet dreams."

* * *

**See the meanings of Teddy's hair colours in the 8th chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

_Eight_

"Won't it ever clear?" hissed Teddy irritably, his hair magenta, as the long stream of students passing the wall that was the Room of Requirement.  
"Don't think so, no," answered James, playing with his Snitch.  
"I'm considering taking a leaf out of Uncle George and Fred's book; maybe throw a dungbomb or something."  
"Yeah. And when the teachers suspect me 'cause I'm always the one doing stuff like that, you'll put your hand up and take the blame?"  
"Are you kidding? No way - that's the best thing about having you tag along."

After a few tedious minutes of no luck, James checked his watch and his time table. "We've got to have Care of Magical Creatures in two minutes," he told Teddy.  
Teddy considered shrugging his shoulders and staying put, but he decided it wasn't worth it. He didn't want Hagrid to be disappointed.  
"Let's go, then."

"Furdums – eats most things, dangerous when loose. Look at one with a partner an' take notes on it, ye 'ave te write a poem on it. Don't tease it or let it out o' its cage if ye want ye fingers an' face intact."  
With that instruction in Hagrid's big, booming voice echoing inside their heads, paired students sat at tables laden with diamond speckled cages.  
James and Teddy studied its contents with a mixture of bemusement and disgust. The Furdum, a shriveled, brown creature, resembled an expanded prune. At the moment it was curled up in a corner, not moving.  
"Is it - dead?" asked Teddy after a while. As if awoken by his voice, the wrinkled ball of skin unfurled and stood up. It was quite different when it shook out its coat – its small head with its pointed snout and beady eyes were almost cute.  
"Cool! Hey, I wonder if it'll eat … my quill?" whispered James. "I've got a spare one." He scribbled on a bit of parchment to empty the ink ("I probably don't want to poison it,") and poked the big, black feather into the cage. The Furdum sniffed the air a few time, then lunged forward on its claw-tipped paws. James' quill was snatched away and swallowed in a few seconds.  
"Wow! It's like putting it through a shredding machine!" Teddy cried. James nodded enthusiastically, and then frowned at him. "What's that?"  
"Oh, never mind. Just a Muggle thing."  
"I shall never know how you put up with Grandpa Arthur's blithering -"  
"We'd better start taking notes. So – has three toes, wobbles snout, black, beady eyes …"

When the lesson was over, the boys stuffed their lists into their bags and raced back to the seventh floor in the left corridor, after saying a cheery goodbye to Hagrid; though most witnesses would say it was more that Teddy raced and dragged a reluctant James behind him.  
Teddy had his fingers crossed tightly during his sprint, but found that the floor was as busy as before. Groaning, he fingered the dungbomb in his robe pocket.  
"Oh no you don't – not until I put several floors between us. I don't get into trouble anymore than I have to," James said, backing away.  
Teddy grinned and took his hand away. "Nah, I'll come back another time. It can't always be this packed, can it?"

But as the days passed, Teddy wasn't so sure.  
"You know, that dungbomb is just gathering dust there in my pocket," he growled, his hair turning violet. "You get away if you're that much of a coward, but I can't wait any longer."  
He disappeared among the everlasting crowds as James hurriedly sneaked off. Unfortunately he ran into Victoire, who delayed him by demanding to know where Teddy was.  
"I dunno – over there somewhere considering when he should chuck his dungbomb?" James waved his arm vaguely. "You're welcome to hide with me."  
With a furious hiss, Victoire ran to pursue Teddy, cursing under her breath.  
Shrugging, James continued his getaway.

"I wasn't _going_ to, you know," Teddy protested weakly as Victoire confiscated his dungbomb. "I was just _joking_ –"  
"And getting ready to do an over-arm throw from a broom cupboard?"  
He sighed. "I was young and irresponsible. I won't do it ever again."  
Victoire laughed. "Apology accepted."

"Cloak?"  
"Check."  
"Map?"  
"Check."  
"Let's go."  
The boys crept out of their dormitory, throwing Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak over themselves. They bumped down to the common room, this time checking ahead to see if Victoire, or some other hard-working student was still up.  
"All clear," whispered James. "Horklump." The painting of the Fat Lady swung up, the Fat Lady herself looking for the speaker. "Who's there?"  
Outside the Gryffindor common room, Teddy unrolled the Marauder's Map.  
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Teddy muttered, tapping it with his wand. Where wood touched parchment, lines started spreading, until a bird's-eye view of the Hogwarts castle was formed.  
"This thing is _cool_," laughed James. He received a good kick in the leg. "Shush!"

The boys crept silently along the corridor, stepping on the edges of floor where it didn't creak.  
"Stop," whispered Teddy. He looked at the Map. "We're here, and we're the only ones. Come on!"  
The boys walked across the strip of wall three times, muttering, "We need the place where the recordings are." It was a very vague instruction, but the best they could come up with after an hour of thinking.  
After their third pace, the boys stopped and looked up hopefully. Then they had to kick each other as they let out strangled cries of success, for in front of them was a large, carved double door, much like the one Harry had described.  
"Quick, get in!" hissed Teddy, coming out of his relief. He and James tried to run over, tripped on the Cloak and banged their heads loudly on the brass handles. "Ow!"  
"_Get inside!_"  
Tumbling into the concealed room, Teddy and James held their breaths and waited, dreading the moment when the handle would slowly turn and reveal who had found them … but the moment never came. Teddy checked the Map disbelievingly, but saw what they heard. Nothing, and no one.  
"Well. Lucky us," James said.  
Teddy nodded half-heartedly, taking in the contents of the room with horror. There were rows and rows of little vials, filled with a silvery, misty liquid. All of them looked the same, none of them had any labels at all.  
"We're going to have a bit of a job finding the right one," murmured Teddy. He stared at them, as if willing the one they needed to appear in front of him. Then, suddenly, he dropped to his knees with a wail.  
"_After everything – all the researching, waiting, sneaking out in the middle of the night – I find this! Don't you think we deserve more luck?_"  
James knelt down and patted Teddy's back. "Uh, never mind …?"  
Teddy covered his face with his hands, regaining composure. After a moment, he stood up with a weak smile. "Sorry about that," he said, his hair still red. "I'm fine. Now, all we need is to get Victoire in here and take advantage of her brains. Let's go." He turned back to the door, putting his hand on the handle.  
James hesitated, frowning. "Don't you want to – you know, look around a bit?"  
"No. There's no point." Teddy hid his face, though his now green hair gave away his emotions. He turned the handle and opened the door. "Coming?"  
James took one last look back at the stand of bottles that seemed to be positioned randomly around the room. "OK."

* * *

**Always grateful for any comments! Thanks to those who have. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks to all those who reviewed! Keep em' coming!**

* * *

_Nine_

"Come on, it can't be that hard," laughed Victoire as she bent to climb through the portrait hole.  
Teddy cocked his head knowingly, staying silent.  
They walked up to the Room of Requirement. Teddy opened a door and gestured for her to go in. "Ignorant witches first."  
"Ever the gent – dear Merlin."  
Teddy watched with bittersweet smugness as Victoire's eyes widened and she gave a small moan.  
"Piece of cake, isn't it?" he said sarcastically.  
Victoire didn't reply, walked around the stands. She looked closely at the substance, then stood back to look at the whole thing. Finally she turned back to Teddy.  
"You know what these are, don't you?" she asked briskly.  
Teddy nodded. "Memories. It'll do us good to have a Pensieve."  
"Listen. We can make one."  
Teddy's jaw dropped. "What – we can?"  
"We'll need white bowl, Lethe River Water, the spell. The first two we can get easily, the spell not such a breeze." Victoire frowned wistfully. "I wonder if we can get it at all."  
"Of course we can! The Restricted Section has tones of stuff; I bet we could find something." Teddy was getting excited now, his hair golden blonde.  
"Yeah, looks like you'll be getting your way after all. Blonde kind of suits you, you know," she added.  
Teddy ran a hand through his hair, which had dulled somewhat. "You'll want to keep me on my toes, then. Let's get James and break some rules!"

"This _is_ white!" cried James indignantly. "It's the whitest of them all!"  
Victoire shook her head. "Pure white."  
Teddy sighed, but made no complaint. Then he had an idea. Victoire wouldn't approve, no doubt, but he couldn't waste anymore time finding what was suppose to be an easy ingredient. "Got to go to the toilet," he said, slipping around the corner. When he was sure he was out of sight, he pulled out his wand. "_Accio white bowl_," he muttered, hoping that the spell was as much of a perfectionist as Victoire. A whooshing sound grew louder and louder, until the birdbath was right at Teddy's ear. He stumbled as it dropped into his hands. Righting himself, he examined it. It was very clean, thus as white as the unicorn hair in his wand, with no chips or marks apart from the fancy pattern carved around it. Teddy smiled, as did Victoire when she saw it. James let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, flopping down on a red and gold couch.  
"Nice one, Teddy. You got to the grounds and back with this heavy thing very fast, I must say," Victoire commented, giving him a look that said she knew exactly what he did. "Having gone to the toilet along the way as well."  
Teddy grinned. "_I_ don't have constipation every time, it's James, remember?"

"OK. Tell me again what happens," ordered Victoire.  
James rolled his eyes. "You forget the whole point of an adventure – you dive right in and hope for the best. You don't go through everything first until it's imprinted in your mind."  
"You distract Madam Pince. I sneak in the Restricted Section in the Cloak – 'cause you won't let me use the potion – and rummage until I find something. When I do, I whistle and you trip over or something and knock over a pile of books so that Pince will go screaming and hopefully spend enough time checking every page to see if it is ripped that we can clear off," Teddy recited, running his hand over the Invisibility Cloak impatiently. "Now, can we please go?"

"Good luck – don't be in there for more than ten minutes!" Victoire whispered frantically as Teddy donned the Cloak and disappeared.  
"Fine," came a muffled whisper.  
Then Madam Pince hobbled by and Victoire took her chance.  
"Madam?" she asked, widening her eyes.  
As the old witch softened under Victoire's charm, Teddy slipped under the ropes closing off the Restricted Section, hurrying to get behind the dusty shelves. He was careful not to touch any of the disintegrating books unnecessarily, remembering Harry's warning about ones that screamed. He weaved through the shelves, on the lookout for any interesting titles.  
"_Special Plants and Their Uses_ … _Strict Rules on Making a Spell_ … _The Spell Records 1946 _… The World through Pensieves!" Teddy bit back a shout. He carefully pulled the book out by its spine, not disturbing any of the others. Then, sliding it under his robes, he continued his search.

"_Teddy!_" James' voice hissed from the ropes, approximately eight minutes later.  
Teddy looked up, nearly upsetting his pile of chosen books. "Coming!"  
James disappeared into the library, and soon after a loud crashing came from the other side of the room.  
Madam Pince, from her hunched position at her desk, wasted no time in jumping up and dashing to pursue the silence disturber.

"I can not believe you just left me like that." Victoire glared a James furiously.  
He shrugged. "You had a better chance of getting away without me."  
Victoire growled in frustration, then turned her back on him and spoke to Teddy. "Have you found anything yet?"  
He frowned and shook his head, not looking up from the book. "Some of the pages have rotted away," he groaned. "What if the bit we want is missing?"  
"Won't happen," Victoire said confidently. "It won't dare, after everything we've done."  
Teddy smiled, put the book under his bed with the others and stretched. "We'll read more tomorrow. There's still homework to be done."


	10. Chapter 10

_Ten_

As the weeks continued, Teddy worked more and more on his Pensieve research. Victoire grudgingly completed his homework for him and James gave up trying to make him play. Though when Teddy temporally resigned from the Gryffindor Quidditch team, he almost crossed the line.  
"You can't do that!" James cried, stomping into their dormitory after being told the news.  
Teddy flipped a decaying page. "Just did."  
"But – but we need you!"  
"Sasha Thompson is good, too."  
"You can't just – oh, Teddy, you're spending too much time reading!"  
"This is something I have to do, James. This is more important than winning the Cup."  
"And more important than you eating, drinking and sleeping? You'd forget to breathe if that was possible!"  
Teddy smiled vaguely. "Ha ha."  
James grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him.  
"I'm serious, Teddy. I know about you staying up until morning every night. _You _know all this isn't healthy."  
Teddy sighed, and put the book down. "OK. This is the deal – I'll play a round of wizard chess with you, and then you'll leave me alone. Come on."  
James opened his mouth to protest, but Teddy had already gone down to the common room.

Winning a couple of rounds of wizard chess later (Teddy was absent minded, though skilful, and James managed to distract him while he set up another game), Teddy went back to reading.

After a while, Victoire went to see him. "Hey, Teddy."  
"Oh, hi ... the properties of Lethe River Water vary from … don't need that …"  
"Teddy. Stop."  
When Teddy continued reading and muttering to himself, Victoire put a hand on his should and immediately drew it back with a gasp.  
"_Teddy!_ You're half–starved! Oh, hollering hippogriffs, I'll be right back –" Victoire vanished down the stairs and sprinted at top speed to the corridor outside the Hogwarts kitchens, where a painting of a bowl of fruit could be found. She tickled the pear, watched impatiently as it giggled and turned into a door handle, and hurried in. House elves instantly came to her service, bowing low. "What can we do for miss?"  
Victoire wrung her hands. "As much food as you can spare, please."  
Even before she finished her sentence, a platter of fresh bread, cheese, pies and fruit was being carried over.  
"Thank you very much! You're doing a great job, by the way, best service ever!"  
And leaving the elves to beam with pride, she dashed up back to Teddy's dorm as fast as she could. He was there, nose buried in his book as usual.  
Victoire tore the book out of Teddy's grip roughly, stuffing a piece of bread and cheese into his mouth with her other hand.  
Watching him consume every bit of the food, she scolded him furiously. "You're skin and bones! You do a bit of studying and fade into a skeleton. I can't leave you for a single minute; I don't know what you'll do when you leave school –"  
"Have you look after me, of course. Now, stop stressing and have some of this pie. It's top quality; the house elves should have a promotion."  
Victoire sniffed, sitting down next to Teddy. "To what? Pixies?"

"Found it! Look Victoire, I've really found it!" Teddy jumped up in joy and flapped the book he was currently skim reading under Victoire's nose, his hair pale gold.  
"Wait – I can't see it when you wave it around like that – yes, so you have. What a relief; maybe you can spend more than six hours doing other things now."  
"_Creans retinantora_ … _Creans retinantora_ …" Teddy muttered, trying to fix the incantation into his mind. He closed his eyes, focusing hard.  
"OK," he said at last, "Lets get these books back and I never want to see any of them ever again. And _then_ …!"  
Victoire smiled and gathered an armful of books. "I'll get the Cloak from James and reshelf them, and why don't you get everything we need from my room into Moaning Myrtle's."  
Teddy clapped his hands together in anticipation and started for the girls' tower.

After the books were safely returned, Victoire put the Cloak back and was about to head for the abandoned female bathroom when a familiar voice paused her.  
"We forgot boys aren't allowed there, huh?"  
She turned slowly and choked.  
Teddy frowned through the thick coat of honey covering his face. "It's not that funny when you're me."  
When she continued to laugh, he rolled his eyes and held out a sticky hand. "Can I borrow your wand, then? Honey has a bad effect."  
Victoire tried to get her wand out of her robe pocket from her double position in vain. "_Gasp_ – sorry – _gasp_ – just wait –" she choked, her eyes watering.  
So Teddy waited, honey dripping off his nose and syrupy purple hair to make a viscid mess on the floor. After Victoire had laughed her stomach sore, she unbent and gave him her wand.  
"_Waddiwasi!_" Teddy muttered, and the honey vanished. He handed the wand back to her with a sour look. "I'd had enough humiliation from the girls who saw me," he growled. "Even better, the flood of the foul stuff stopped immediately when they tried to get down. It was like a seam got patched up."  
Victoire wiped a stray tear from her eye. "Poor you. Now, shall I get the things?"  
She strode off to the girls' tower, leaving Teddy to grumble about her lack of sympathy.

"How do we start? When do we start?" James buzzed around like a particularly annoying fly. "It's like Dad and Aunty Ron and Uncle Hermonie doing that Polygon Potion!"  
Victoire rolled her eyes.  
"I've got it," Teddy spoke up, his voice quivering with excitement. "I can do the spell."  
"Yes!" James hissed. He darted to the door to check that the coast was clear. "We can start!"  
They formed a triangular circle around the birdbath. Victoire filled it with crystal blue Water, the colour matching her eyes. Then Teddy stirred it with his wand in the figure of eight, muttering the words that he had so proudly discovered by his persistence and determination. It went faster and faster, so that when Teddy took his wand out it kept spinning like a whirlpool.  
"Is this meant to happen?" whispered James to Victoire. She shrugged, hiding her crossed fingers.  
Teddy watched the basin intently, his hair turning crimson. At last, when the liquid stopped, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.  
"Well, I suppose that's it."  
He gathered their little equipment, not wanting to see his friends' disappointed expression. To his surprise Victoire jumped to her feet and headed for the door eagerly.  
"Let's start, then! We still have ten minutes until the next lesson – I'll get some of the vials and we can test it!"  
She shut the door behind her, though her footsteps rang clearly as she ran. Teddy looked at James disbelievingly. "But don't you think it was – don't you think it should've done more?"  
James considered this. "Nah. Haven't you heard the saying, 'Less is more'?"  
Teddy smiled.


	11. Chapter 11

_Eleven_

Teddy wiped sweat from his brow. He'd been tumbling to and fro from memories all evening, with no luck whatsoever. As he was about to plunge into yet another one, James placed a hand on his shoulder.  
"There's thousands, mate. Shouldn't we see if there's a way to – to extinguish them?"  
Teddy looked at him. "How?"  
James shrugged. "I dunno; you'll have to get Victoire for brains. But haven't you noticed they don't all look the same?"  
Teddy glanced at the still filled bottles. "Er, no."  
"Because you've been too busy diving into them." Victoire joined them in the common room, wearing a pale blue night dress.  
"Well, let me do one more while you ponder over their slight differences," said Teddy. And he bent down to their Pensieve until his nose touched it. At once the ground jerked, like it had the dozens of times he had done it before and he fell through the air, suddenly landing on his feet. He smiled a little, noticing he managed not to stumble. Then he observed the Great Hall with minor boredom. He was facing the High Table, and, like the times before, the only occupants were a few stranglers finishing off breakfast. Teddy sighed, and sat down in a vacant chair at the Hufflepuff table. He would wait here for a while, though it was obvious nothing was going to happen.  
He was awoken by a strange, uncomfortable feeling. Then he realized what it was. "_Arrrrgh!_" he yelled, springing away in horror. The Hufflepuff student that had sat through him chattered on, unaware of anything. Teddy backed away into one of the corridors, cursing himself for falling asleep.

"Really? What was it like? What could you see? Was it a girl?"  
Teddy glared at James. "It was horrible. Like being sat on by a ghost, but more … alive. And for your information, I was too busy gagging to notice."  
Victoire stood up, holding the Pensieve. "We'd better go to bed now. You've had some sleep, but we're exhausted. Waiting half the night for you to come back wasn't my ideal plan, you know."  
Teddy kissed her lightly. "Yes, I know, and I'm ever so grateful. But you could've come to find me."  
James raised his eyebrows at Victoire. "Hear it from your boyfriend and maybe you'll be more open minded next time?"  
"I didn't want you to get lost too!" Victoire protested.  
"Aw, thanks, I didn't know you cared so much," James grinned.  
Victoire was about to make a cutting reply when Teddy stopped them, nudging them toward the towers. "I can stay up a little longer, which I will. You two go and rest; I'll be up when I've done a few more."  
James shrugged, heading up without further to do. Victoire hesitated. "Are you sure? Just because your best friend doesn't care, I still do –"  
"I'll be fine, Victoire. I'll do a few, then go straight to bed. OK?"  
Victoire nodded. "Good luck, Teddy."

He had found the right memory! Now, blundering through the crowd to find his parents, Teddy's hair turned ginger. For some reason he knew, without a mirror … then there was his mother casting a spell! It missed … he must go and help her …  
"Wake up, Teddy!"

But too late, a hooded figure threw a vial filled with a curse … it splattered over Tonks' robes, which shimmered and she disappeared … why did she have James' Invisibility Cloak? Then his robe got caught on someone's wand, and suddenly everyone could see him –

"_Wake up!_"  
"Hmmm?" Teddy opened his eyes, and looked up at a seething Victoire. "Oh."  
"Yes, oh," she hissed, pulling him up. "Get yourself cleaned up now."  
Teddy glanced around him, realizing he had fallen asleep in the common room. His first thought was to panic about the bottles and Pensieve.  
"James took them up, luckily for you," said Victoire through gritted teeth. "And it's about time you went, too."  
Teddy gave her a rueful grin, hoping to soften her, then fled to his dormitory as she gave no response.

"So, what do you have to say for yourself?" Victoire asked menacingly. "You said you would go _straight _up, after you'd done a mere _few_ more. Last time I checked, it meant 'a small number or amount'. And judging by the newly emptied bottles, you went through … how many was it, James?" she turned her head to address her uncomfortable cousin.  
"Erm … seven?" James lied, unconvincingly.  
Victoire sighed. "Now you're both against me. Twenty-six, it was, Teddy. Twenty-six is not a small number. You were up all night, and you need rest to be healthy. I therefore disallow you from doing anything from ten o'clock onwards."  
Teddy dropped his jaw in protest. "What? You can't do that! I'll – I'll tell Uncle Bill and –"  
"If you tell the whole story, which he will make you, he will agree with me. Mum also. Anyway, I know about you trading Firewhiskey with Sam Benton and the others, so if I were you I would think twice before dobbing."  
Teddy raked a hand through his purple hair in desperation. "That's blackmail! You can't –" Cutting himself off in mid-sentence, he stormed away.

"Isn't that so _unfair?_" Teddy hissed to James during Herbology. James nodded feverishly. "Poor you." He bit back a remark about freedom without girlfriends.  
"Pay attention, please," Professor Longbottom said as he walked past. "You only have fifteen minutes left."  
They had been given a test on all the things they had learnt about that term, so normally Teddy would have found it a breeze. But today he couldn't concentrate and ticked random boxes, skipping questions that he couldn't understand at first glance. When the sheets were collected, he sighed and turned to James.  
"Can I borrow your Cloak every night?"  
"Ooh, I see the makings of a rebel. Aren't you going to be a good little boy?"  
Teddy glared. "That's what I'll seem like. And you'd better go along with it."  
"Whatever. Just saying, threatening someone isn't the best way to do things when you're trying to obtain my property."  
"Since when have you used big words like 'obtain'?"  
"Hey, I could begin if present company wishes …"

"Class dismissed," announced Professor Longbottom. Teddy and James grabbed their bags and headed out.  
"Wait, Teddy. I'd like a word."  
Teddy turned around, startled. "Why?"  
James nudged him. "I'll see you, then. Best of luck for your detention."  
Professor Longbottom gestured for Teddy to come closer.  
"Is there anything wrong?" he asked.  
"I don't know. You wanted to see me, remember?" Teddy frowned.  
Longbottom showed him his quiz sheet. "A Hairistone makes balls of dirt like shedding skin. I told you this, as well as the properties of Wolfspane."  
Glancing down at the piece of parchment, Teddy realized he had gotten most of the answers wrong unnecessarily.  
"You're one of my best students, Teddy, but your marks have been dropping. I don't just mean this test, either," Longbottom continued. "I just want to know if there have been any problems. I remember when I was young."  
A pause. "No, professor."  
"Just remember, I'm always happy to help."

* * *

**So there you go - Teddy's lost his good grades. I'm sorry if I'm not very good at making people 'obsessed'! Shall improve later on, I promise. I'm grateful for any feedback you may have!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks to all my viewers for taking the time! Any feedback you might have is always welcome and read.**

* * *

_Twelve_

With exams coming up, still many thousand recordings to explore, a rapidly dropping grade, and a watchful girlfriend, Teddy felt full to the brim. He became irritable and snapped at his friends, so that even James left him alone. Only Victoire stayed by his side, shrugging away any bad tempered wisecracks.  
"Come on, Teddy, dinner's calling," she said softly, as students left the common room for the Great Hall.  
"The only thing that's calling is all this homework, which I have to do by tomorrow," Teddy retorted.  
"I'll help you. But the food won't stay hot."  
"You go, then. Maybe I can get something done if I'm not being distracted."  
Victoire sighed. "Alright – I'll bring something up for you later. I'm sure Winky and the others won't mind." She knew most of the house-elves' names now, having asked many favours of food for Teddy.

But, like shape-shifting Bogarts, patience and serenity is unstable. So, one day, Victoire lost it.  
"You're going down now, Teddy, and no excuses."  
"Who died and made you boss?"  
A silence. "You did. I don't know what you did with the nice, sweet Teddy Lupin but I want him back. I've tried my hardest to be tolerant and understanding, but I've had enough."  
"Okay. See you. I'd like a double choc-chip vanilla mousse, by the way."  
Victoire's eyes flashed and she stormed out. Teddy looked up with a grin. "Hey, I was joking, you know …" The grin faded. He sighed, pushing his homework off of his lap. "I suppose I'd have to _apologize_ now," he muttered to himself. "Such a waste of time."

To right any wrong, though, you first have to find the person and this proved to be quite a challenge. Teddy spent the whole Sunday morning searching around the castle for Victoire with no luck. Then, he heard a whisper among a group of girls.  
"Did you see that part Veela?"  
"Sobbing her eyes out, not so pretty now, is she?"  
"Only Stephanie and China could get anything out of her –"  
Teddy tapped one of them on the shoulder. "Have you seen Victoire?"  
The fair haired girl turned around. "Is that her name? Oh, yes, and you must be her so-envied boyfriend."  
Not for any longer if I don't act fast, thought Teddy. Aloud he said, "That's me. Where is she, if you know?"  
"Gryffindor girls' tower."  
Teddy thanked her, though inwardly cursing. Trust Victoire to go there. He went back to the Gryffindor common room, but went up the boys' tower first.  
Five minutes later, fully enclosed in his raincoat and wearing his thickest boots, he faced the tower, ignoring the looks students cast at him.  
"Bring it on," Teddy muttered. He set a foot on the bottom step. Nothing happened. He walked up cautiously, eyeing the rims and the red and gold carpet. Just when he let out his breath and almost believed that the stairs would let him pass, it transformed into a steep slope and ruthlessly made him fall several metres.  
The wind knocked out of him, Teddy wheezed up at the spiral staircase disbelievingly. "I never thought you would sink so low twice," he hissed. It seemed to smirk at him.  
"Please?" Teddy begged. "I need to get up there. It's something to do with the girl that ran up before. The really upset one?" He gave it a few seconds to think it through, before setting off up again. This time he climbed as fast as he could, keeping a small grip on the stone sides. When he got to the top he looked back, whispering his gratefulness. Then he knocked on the closest door. A dark haired girl opened it and screamed.  
"It's okay! I just want to see Victoire Weasley," Teddy explained, crossing his fingers tight.  
The girl continued to gape at him (or maybe his faintly lilac hair), but pointed with her arm.  
"Thank you!" Teddy shouted over his shoulder. He knocked on the door that she had singled out, chewing his lip nervously. China Withers, one of Victoire's closest friends, opened it with a glare.  
"I thought we told everyone – oh, it's you."  
"Can I talk to Victoire?"  
China sniffed. "You don't really deserve to …"  
"Oh, let him come in," said another voice. Stephanie Adams joined her at the frame. "If you've come to apologize, that is," she added sternly to Teddy.  
He nodded, trying not to look annoyed. "So, if we could have some time alone …?"  
China and Stephanie exchanged looks. "It's alright, girls," a third voice said from inside the room. "I mean, I've got my wand."  
They grinned, and nodded. "See you, Vic."  
Teddy entered the room, expecting it to be somewhat similar to his. He was shocked. Apart from the colours (the gold was where the red was and vice versa), the bedding was differently patterned and the girls' things were neatly placed on the bedside tables. Victoire sat on the far bed to the right, her face only faintly tear stained.  
"Hi," Teddy said awkwardly.  
Victoire stared at him, her piecing gaze making him want to shrivel up in a corner.  
"I'm sorry," he blurted. "I really am. I know I've been working too hard on finding my parents, and I'll – I'll do whatever you want me to do from now on."  
At this Victoire gave a soft disbelieving snort.  
"Well, I'll try; if you give me the second chance that I don't deserve."  
Victoire said nothing for a few seconds, which stretched to a lifetime for Teddy. At last she nodded and said, "Okay. But I'm just going to rub it in that you really don't deserve it, and the first thing I want you to do is go down to the kitchens and thank the house-elves for all the food I've been sneaking out."  
Teddy laughed, faint with relief. Then he hurried to obey.

And so he had Victoire by his side when he failed his exams …

* * *

**Just a curious question: Who's your favourite character so far? I think James, Victoire and Teddy are sort of like Ron, Hermione and Harry.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry, I've been so busy! Unfortunately not with writing stories, as you might've figured. Enjoy the short chapter, and reviews are VERY, VERY welcome!**

* * *

_Thirteen_

"Does that mean I'll stay in fifth year?"  
McGonagall pursed her lips. "No, you'll continue, but you'll have fifth year homework as well as your other work."  
Victoire placed a hand on Teddy's slumped shoulder. "I'll help him."  
McGonagall gave her a thin smile. "I've no doubt you will, Miss Weasley. But Mr. Lupin here needs to step up to his year level, and not with someone propping him up."  
"I will, I promise. I've just been distracted, that's all," said Teddy, trying to convince the Headmistress as well as himself.  
"Well, we'll see. You are dismissed."

"Aw. If you stayed behind two years, you'll be in the same year as me!" said James ruefully.  
Teddy shuddered. "I wouldn't last a week. Being in the same dormitory is bad enough."  
"Hey! I've been training you! You've got to at least last two weeks, you ungrateful twit," James protested. Teddy caught Victoire's eye and winked.

"So – are you actually going to try and 'step up to your year level'?" asked Victoire, as Teddy pulled the Pensieve out from under her bed. He put some misty vials into it, and strained to lift it up.  
"What? Oh, sure …" Deciding that it was too heavy, he thudded it down on top of a cabinet. "I mean, I will, of course. But this is much more important. Right?"  
"If you say so," Victoire sighed. "But how many are still left? You have to spend time studying, as well."  
"Yes, ma'am."  
"So … how many are left?" Teddy could feel her gaze boring into his back as he emptied the bird bath and attempted again to move it. It made next to no difference, as memories were lighter than a feather. He made a face to himself. "Not as many as there was when I started."  
Victoire gave another sigh, so hopelessly that it almost made Teddy put everything back and spend the next three hours in the library.

He ran, pushing on blindly, not caring the slightest about those who he knocked over. Everything was a daze, blurred by his red anger. When a big double door rose in front, he pushed it open without hesitation. It shut behind him, and he allowed himself a moment to catch his breath. Then, he looked up. And had to grit his teeth to stop from yelling out in annoyance. He had barged into the Room of Requirement, and found himself surrounded by some of the main characters of his fury. Vials, vials and more vials. Teddy half expected Scorpio to stroll in, wearing his permanent smirk. For some time Teddy just stayed kneeling, with his head in his hands, cursing. And fighting back tears. Maybe those lost memories were the ones he needed. Maybe now all his work was for nothing. He just hoped that Scorpio, or one of his stupid friends cut themselves on the smashed glass.  
Finally, Teddy stood up. He looked at the waves of little bottles, flooding into the next room. They didn't indicate hope anymore, just urgency. He only had two years left at Hogwarts, two years left of access. Well, _easy_ access. But surely he'd find the correct one before then? So … two years. And at least four years of 'exploring', if he was working at his current speed. Teddy bit his lip hesitantly, though he had already decided. Grabbing several bottles at a time, he filled up his bag. If double was the time he needed to work at, then that's what he would do. And if Scorpio was still crawling around, Teddy was ready and furious.

"This is all my fault," Victoire moaned to James.  
"I heartily agree," answered James. "It's nice to be able to accuse someone."  
"I gave him the idea. Helped him, even!"  
James patted her shoulder. "Now, now. I heroically share the blame, and you may gaze at me in awe. No? Anyway, it does no good to mope about it. I advise you to come up with something, and act to it."  
"Yeah? And what about you?"  
"Uh … I wish you the best?" James ducked her blow, but had to endure a chilling glare.  
"Fine, if you really don't care. I'll solve this on my own."

"Apples, Teddy?"  
"Yeah, okay. Thanks – do you think I could take this with me?" Teddy asked, gesturing at the Pensieve.  
Victoire shrugged. "Probably. Hey, do you want me to do some while you have a rest?" She brightened at the sudden brainwave.  
Teddy paused. "That's an idea … but no thanks. I need to do them myself." He devoured the apple in a few huge mouthfuls, and entered another memory. Victoire sat nearby, a hopeful smile on her lips. Maybe she could persuade him, somehow.


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry for the delay! Now, read on!**

* * *

_Fourteen_

"No, Victoire."  
"But –"  
"No."  
"I could –"  
"No."  
"Please?"  
"No."  
"Pretty please?"  
"No."  
"Are you a wizard?"  
"No. I mean, yes. Honesty, Victoire, just forget it! I'm doing them myself, and that's that."  
"What if I sneak some and do them without you knowing?"  
"I've got the bottles counted."  
"Really now."  
"Yes – Okay, no. But I could."  
"And waste valuable time diving into memories? That's not like you."  
"Victoire. I will find out, which I swear on – on your life."  
"That's reassuring. So, if you'll kill me if you know, and I'll die anyway if you don't."  
"Great Dumbledore, Victoire! Just leave me alone for 5 minutes. Go gossip with what's-her-name or something."  
"Five minutes, and I'll be back!"

Teddy crunched on his apple, the only thing he'd eaten that day. Victoire was always nagging him about his less-than-healthy diet, but he didn't care. He'd been a little shocked – okay, horrified – when he looked in the common room mirror the week before to see a virtual skeleton with blue hair, but the shock had worn off. So what if he was a little skinny? At least he wasn't like Professor Moorey, who seemed to grow outwards.  
He poured the misty contents of a bottle into his Pensieve, stirring with his wand. Then he plunged in.  
He landed on his feet, and looked for any signs of war, or the battle that was to come. There was nothing, like the other hundreds of times, but he looked around for a bit to make sure, because the last dozen he was sure were around the right time.  
The Headmaster was Snape; several other Death Eaters were enjoying torturing the students; and the Slytherins were looking like it was Christmas and their birthdays mixed together. There were also fewer Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Teddy knew most of them were living in the Room of Requirement.

The first time Teddy had seen someone being tortured he had stood frozen to the spot for minutes after, trying to keep down his rage. It was morning, and everyone was having breakfast. Suddenly Alecto Carrow, who was patrolling the tables, let out a terrifying bellow and yanked a small boy out of his seat. He dragged him up to the High Table where he performed the Cruciatus Curse on the poor boy, laughing madly. The second year screamed and writhed on the ground, while a girl who Teddy assumed was his sister sobbed quietly.  
"And that, my dear wizards," shouted Carrow, "is why you _never_ question the Dark Lord!"  
But as Teddy visited more recordings he soon learnt to block his ears and look the other way whenever a Death Eater raised his wand.  
There was nothing to see here, though, apart from the cowering first years and the grim-faced teachers. So Teddy went back, and prepared another one.

This time, as he fell through the air, Teddy felt a wave of dizziness. It wasn't the first he'd had that week, but it was the worst. Victoire had said some rubbish about not eating enough when she saw him steadying himself. He flailed around, but this time there was nothing to hold on to. Then the breath was knocked out of him as he hit the ground, bending his left leg awkwardly. For what seemed like an eternity he lay on the cold floor, groaning in pain. But after several feet passed through him, and he slowly got up.  
"For Merlin's sake –" his words were cut off by a painful gasp as he tried to get his wand.  
"_Episkey_!" he hissed. Nothing happened. "Oh, come on. _Episkey_! _Episkey_!" he shook his wand violently. "Blast you. Fine, fine. _Reditus_!" Teddy closed his eyes in despair as his wand still refused to work. Then, he realized what was going on in the Hall.  
The enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall was dark and scattered with stars, and below it the four long house tables were lined with scruffy, wide-eyed students. Here and there, hovering above the ground shone the ghosts of Hogwarts. And every eye was focused on Professor McGonagall, who was speaking at the High Table. Behind her were the other teachers, and the members of the Order of the Phoenix.  
"…evacuation will be overseen by Mr Filch and Madam Pomfrey. Prefects, when I give the word, you will organize your house and take your charges, in orderly fashion, to the evacuation point."  
Teddy stood, transfixed. The pain in his leg was forgotten. This was the right memory! After everything … he hobbled closer to get a better view. He felt like he couldn't take in enough.

A student from the Hufflepuff table stood up. "And what if we want to fight?" Some people applauded.  
"If you are of age, you may stay," said McGonagall.  
"What about our things?" asked a Ravenclaw girl. "Our trunks, our owls?"  
"We have no time to collect possessions. The important thing is to get you out of here safely."  
"Where's Professor Snape?" shouted a Slytherin.  
"He has, to use the common phrase, done a bunk," Professor McGonagall replied. A great cheer erupted from the other houses.  
Teddy ignored the rest of her words as he tried to spot his parents among the group of Phoenix members. He thought he caught a flash of purple hair.  
Then, something made his blood run cold. He froze, as did the thousands of others in the Hall. Voldemort's voice, magnified a hundred times or more, rang through the castle.  
"_I know that you are preparing to fight._"  
Several students screamed in terror.  
"_Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood." _  
There was a deafening silence.  
"_Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight._"  
The silence swallowed them again. Heads turned, and Teddy followed their gazes to his Uncle Harry, who was standing, frozen, his lightning scar visible through his untidy hair.  
Then a figure rose from the Slytherin table and raised a shaking hand to point at him.  
"But he's there! Potter's _there_!" the girl screamed. "Someone grab him!"  
Before Harry could reply, there was a massive movement. All of the students from the other houses stood at the same time, their backs to Harry, and their wands drawn at the Slytherins.  
"Thank you, Miss Parkinson," said Professor McGonagall. "You will leave the Hall first with Mr Filch. If the rest of your house could follow."  
They trooped out on the other side of the Hall, some throwing hostile looks at Harry.  
"Ravenclaws, follow on!"  
Slowly, the four tables emptied, apart from the ones who had decided to stay. At first, most of the Gryffindor students remained, necessitating Professor McGonagall to round up the under-age and send them out.  
Teddy watched with a lump in his throat. He thought of Victoire and James, and wanted them to see this too. How brave everyone was being, especially James' father.  
A man who Teddy recognized as Kingsley Shacklebolt spoke.  
"We've only got half an hour until midnight, so we need to act fast! A battle plan has been agreed between the teachers of Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix. Professors Flitwick, Sprout and McGonagall are going to take groups of fighters up to the three highest Towers – Ravenclaw, Astronomy and Gryffindor – where they'll have a good overview, excellent positions from which to work spells. Meanwhile Remus," Teddy gasped as his father stepped forward, "Arthur, and I will take groups into the grounds. We'll need somebody to organize defence of the entrances of the passageways into the school –" " – sounds like a job for us," called Uncle Fred, nodding to his twin, George. Teddy got a good look at him. This is just before he dies, Teddy noted. He wished he could tell Fred that, or at least warn him to be extra careful.  
Kingsley continued explaining the plan, while Teddy crept closer to his parents. He got next to his father, and reached out, but his hand passed right through Remus.  
"Dad," Teddy whispered.  
"Yes," Remus said, and Teddy jumped with shock. But he was only talking to Tonks. "Yes, of course he'll be safe. Ted and Andromeda will look after him."  
With a jolt, Teddy realized they were talking about him. A tear trickled down his cheek. "_I'm_ safe," he murmured. "How about you?"

* * *

**Writing this chapter almost made me cry. I hope you enjoyed it, and I promise the next chapter will be very interesting indeed.  
Please review. It means a lot to me. :D**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi! This chapter, I think, is the best one of them all. Or it could be the one that is to come, which I have already started. So, stay tuned, and please review!**

* * *

_Fifteen_

The next hours were chaos. Teddy followed his parents, until they got split apart. A frantic witch dashed past them, calling her daughter's name. Remus stumbled, and got knocked in the chin by someone's elbow. He was lost in the crowd as Tonks and Teddy got pushed forward helplessly. Tonks got to the stairs and ran up, with Teddy following right behind.  
She stopped at the corridor near the Gryffindor common room, and muttered something. The doors of the Room of Requirement appeared and Tonks hurried in. It was empty apart from two other witches: Aunt Ginny and an old witch who Teddy recognized as Professor Neville's deceased grandmother.  
Tonks hugged Ginny, who seemed to be on the verge of tears. "He'll be all right, just you see," she muttered. "All of them will be."  
"What are they doing? Has the battle started yet?"  
Tonks shook her head. "Almost. They're preparing."  
"Yes, my Neville will give them something to think about," said Mrs Longbottom confidently.  
Then, Harry entered with Ron and Hermione.  
"Ah, Potter," the elderly witch said. "You can tell us what's going on."  
"Is everyone okay?" asked Tonks and Ginny together.  
"'S far as we know," replied Harry. "Are there still people in the passage to the Hog's Head?"  
"I was the last to come through," said Mrs Longbottom. "I sealed it, I think it unwise to leave it open now Aberforth has left his pub. Have you seen my grandson?"  
"He's fighting," said Harry.  
"Naturally," said the old lady proudly. "Excuse me, I must go and assist him." She moved off at a surprising pace.  
Harry looked at Tonks. "I thought you were supposed to be with Teddy at your mother's?"  
"I couldn't stand not knowing –" Tonks looked distressed. "She'll looked after him – have you seen Remus?"  
"He was leading a group of fighters into the grounds –" Before he had even finished, Tonks was speeding off with Teddy close behind. She hurried down the floors, but paused when the ground shook violently, sending a shower of plaster and dust onto the ground. She drew her wand and ran to the nearest window. Teddy joined her and looked down to see fireworks of red and green light, and a giant stomping by, swinging what looked like a stone gargoyle.  
"Let's hope he steps on some of them!" shouted Ron's voice, among screams and incantations of others.  
"As long as it's not one of our lot!" called Ginny, firing a well-aimed jinx into the swarm of witches and wizards below.  
"Good girl!" roared an old man with grey hair who was leading a group of students.  
"Have you seen Remus?" Tonks shouted after him.  
"He was dueling Dolohov," called the man, "haven't seen him since!"  
Ginny placed a hand on Teddy's mother's shoulder. "Tonks," she said. "Tonks, I'm sure he's okay –" But she had already run off after Alberforth – yes, Teddy remembered his name now – with a look of terror on her face.

They found Teddy's father indeed dueling a Death Eater, though Teddy didn't know her name. Tonks sent a red spell that hit him in the back, and he crumpled onto the ground. Remus caught Tonks' eye for a split second, then had to defend himself against an insanely laughing wizard. Meanwhile, Tonks turned around to find herself wand to wand with Bellatrix.  
"Good Merlin," Teddy croaked in horror. He pulled out his wand and tried to Stupefy Bellatrix, but his spell went right through her. He watched in devastation as Tonks barely managed to duck the Avada Kedavra and shield herself against a Cruciatus Curse. Then, the two witches' spells met each other and sent them both stumbling back. As Tonks righted herself, she turned her head. Teddy followed her gaze and saw Angelina Johnson scrabbling on the ground for her wand. The bald Death Eater she'd been battling cackled, and raised his wand.  
"_Protego_!" shouted Tonks, and the spell rebounded on the bubble around Angelina. Then, Teddy's mother turned back to her own opponent and was hit by a bullet of green light, cast from Bellatrix as Tonks saved another witch's life.

She fell in slow motion, her head slumping and her hand releasing her wand. Teddy was glued to the spot. Pictures flashed past his eyes, and the only sound he could hear was his own heart bumping blood. A strangled cry escaped his lips, and he fell forward onto his knees. He crawled to Tonks' body, ignoring the icy legs passing through his. Her eyes were still open, and her mouth just a little separated as if in shock. Teddy heard a long scream – then realized it was him. He placed a hand on her cheek – hovering just above her skin, as if willing some of his energy to flow into her and bring her back.

He remembered Remus, after a few painful moments. His mother was gone – but his couldn't forget his father. As Teddy rose, he feared that his father had already been killed, but he had missed it while grieving for Tonks. Then he spotted Remus' mousy grey hair a few metres off, and hurried to his side. Teddy could see the beads of sweat on his father's temple, and longed to help. He was dueling one of the Carrows, and they were very well matched. Both men were using Unforgivable Curses, and Teddy didn't want to see who the ducked spells had hit. At last, he couldn't bear it any more and looked around for other familiar Hogwartians.

There was Professor Neville … and Luna Lovegood … Cho Chang … Hannah Abbott, Neville's wife … Uncle Charlie … and Bill Weasley. Teddy flinched as he swerved another curse. Maybe it was just as well that Victoire wasn't there. Bill sent a green jet that just missed Augustus Rookwood. Teddy was intrigued to watch it as it rebounded off a tree … off another person's shield charm … and Teddy just dodged it in time. It hit the person next to him. The person next to him. No. But why else would Amycus Carrow be laughing like that? Teddy turned slowly, to see Remus Lupin lying on the ground like his wife was several paces off – and blacked out.


	16. Chapter 16

**There you go! A shortish chapter, and the quality is up to you to decide. But tell me what you think, will you? Even if you don't have an account you still can. Please.**

* * *

_Sixteen_

The light was too bright, and Teddy had to squint against it. His head hurt – in fact, his whole body did. He was lying on something soft, and his leg was feeling numb. A pale face appeared above his. "Teddy?"  
He tried to get up, but firm hands kept him down. "You're staying like that until I say so, young man," an older voice told him. He turned his head to see Madam Elton frowning at him.  
"Oh, Teddy," whispered Victoire. "I thought you were dead! And your leg was twisted in such a horrid way –"  
Then the memories flooded back. Voldemort's cold, high voice … the evacuation … seeing his parents and so many others who were going to die … following Tonks … the death of his parents. The pictures formed in his head and he threw up.  
"Good Merlin!" Madam Elton sighed. "Must you really? Did he get anything on you, dear?"  
"No, no, I'm fine." Victoire was gazing at Teddy in great relief. "Are you okay, Teddy?"  
He opened his mouth and a croaking sound came out. Then, he felt weaker than he'd ever been before and passed out again.

When he woke up, it was dark in the hospital wing. He craned his neck and saw Victoire sleeping in a chair beside him. Madam Elton was gone.  
"Victoire!" he whispered. He reached out a shaking hand and poked her leg. She gave a start.  
"Oh, Teddy, you're awake again!" she squeezed his hand. "What happened?"  
"I found the right memory, that's what," he said.  
She stared at him. "What happened?"  
"All the stuff that Uncle Harry's been telling us, and more."  
"Would you like a glass of water?" she asked.  
Teddy suddenly realized he did, very much. "Yes, please."  
He emptied the glass in two gulps, and Victoire got some more.  
"So."  
"I'll start from the best show of loyalty ever," Teddy said. He began, Victoire hanging on to every word. "…and then they all stood up at the same time, and pointed their wands at the Slytherins. Harry was speechless …"  
He paused every now and again to sip some water, and Victoire waited patiently for him to continue. Then he got to his parents' deaths.  
"She – she was dueling Bellatrix, and their spells met. It sent them off balance for a moment, and Tonks saw Angelina Johnson being disarmed. So she helped her, and – and –" tears ran down Teddy's cheeks. Victoire hugged him.  
"At least she saved someone's life," she said. "We'll be proud of her." Teddy nodded and wiped his face furiously. "Of course." He drank another mouthful of water and continued bravely.  
"I found Remus dueling Amycus Carrow. It went on for eons, so I looked away. I saw tons of people, including Bill."  
Victoire gave a small gasp.  
"He was fighting Rookwood, and his spell missed and –" Teddy realized the meaning what he was about to say. 'And it hit Remus.'  
"And what, Teddy?" asked Victoire.  
Teddy faltered. He'd only just thought of it that way. That Bill had cast the spell which killed his own. Victoire's father killed his father. Victoire's father killed his father. Victoire killed his father. His thoughts were jumbled up, and he had a splitting headache.  
"What happened?" Victoire asked again. Teddy felt so sick … his vision swam and memories mixed with real life. Victoire changed into Bellatrix. Teddy saw red.  
"You killed her!" he yelled. "When she wasn't looking! You're a coward, a –" Now Bellatrix turned into a sobbing Tonks.  
"Why didn't you save me, Teddy?" she whispered. "You were right there …"  
"I'm – I'm so sorry!" Teddy stammered. Tears ran down his face again. "I couldn't –"  
"You let her kill me … I would have given my life for you …"  
"I'm sorry!" Teddy repeated. "Sorry –"  
Tonks turned back into Victoire, who was shaking him. "Teddy!"  
He pushed her away. "Your dad killed my father," he spat. Victoire's eyes widened.  
"What – what are you talking about?"  
"Yes, it was him. His fault that my father is dead, and don't you forget it!" His voice rose. "_Bill killed Remus_! _I saw him, so don't deny it_!"  
Victoire was crying now. Teddy was glad. Then a woman came into the room. Madam Elton ... or was it Alecto Carrow? She looked at him, and went to get something from the cupboards. It was long and thin … Teddy reached for his own wand.  
"Don't come any further," he said, his voice quavering. "I've learnt spells beyond your imagination –" Then he slumped back onto his bed as the needle emptied its contents into his arm.

* * *

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